Weigh up each clue
Q The whereabouts and birth date of my 2x great-grandfather William Mackay (Mckay) is proving to be very difficult to find therefore I cannot get the all important link to Scotland. William Mackay married Catherine Daly, in 1853, in Manchester, his father given as Alexander, deceased. At this time the witness names have no meaning to my research. Are there any clues I am missing from the certificate?
Carol Millar
A Tracing the origins of a Scottish ancestor who migrated to England can often be difficult as censuses typically only give a birthplace of Scotland.
• Consider the wider household & neighbours
When tracing William Mackay in censuses taken after his marriage, pay attention to other household members and to neighbours. It is also worth searching for any Scottish-born Mackays living nearby who could be related.
• Look for family naming clues & patterns
Scots favoured family names for their children so it is important to identify all of William’s children, including any born and dying between censuses. Researching Catherine Daly’s family may indicate which names came from her side, and therefore which may be connected to William’s family.
• Where & who was he living with?
It’s possible William was living in Manchester when the 1851 Census was taken. I noted a Glasgow-born William ‘Mccoy’ living in Dulcie Bridge Street. However, his age appears to be 26, while your ancestor was probably 19 or 20 at this time.
William may still have been in Scotland in 1851. However, he may not necessarily have been living with relatives and his father could already have been deceased. He is more likely to be with family in 1841, when aged around 9 or 10. Although relationships are not stated in the 1841 Census, searching for a William Mackay of the right age living with an Alexander may narrow down the options.
• Church registers in Scotland
William was born prior to 1855, when statutory registration began in Scotland, so any record of his birth is likely to be found in church registers. Many of these are available on Scotlandspeople but are by no means complete.
• Analyse & eliminate
Searching using name variants, I identified seven William Mackays baptised in 1829-1832 to a father named Alexander. Although there is no guarantee your ancestor is among them, this is a small enough number to research each individual in order to eliminate him and narrow down the possibilities. Censuses are a good starting point since any candidate who was still in Scotland in 1861 cannot be your ancestor. Scottish marriage and death records from 1855 onwards can be used to establish identity since they provide both parents’ names.
• DNA insights
None of these suggestions offer a simple solution, unfortunately. If you have not already done so, it could be worth taking a DNA test. If William Mackay had siblings, their descendants might show up among your DNA matches. At the least, if you notice you have DNA matches with Mackay ancestors from a particular part of Scotland this would give you an area to focus on in your search for William’s origins. KW